VoIP provider Vonage said it’s now able to provide R.I. subscribe...

case, noting that both the regulatory and technical structure of the 911 system will make it challenging to provide E-911 to other districts. Because R.I. owns the selective router for 911 and has only one public safety answering point (PSAP) for the entire state, there were fewer complications to bring E-911 online, Citron said Thurs. Since most states have numerous PSAPs and most 911 selective routers are controlled by ILECs, achieving access to the 911 system is difficult. Citron said each state could change rules on accessing the 911 system, but having to appeal to each state would be tedious and could produce inconsistent results, Citron said. “We need a national plan,” said Citron, who said the FCC could establish the access rules that are needed. Vonage utilizes services from Intrado, a leading emergency communications provider, to help R.I. determine a caller’s location. The system relies on Vonage subscribers to supply home location information; the system doesn’t determine location based on where the VoIP call originated. Mary Boyd, Intrado vp-govt. affairs, said until a national policy is developed, each state would have to “step up one at a time.” Meanwhile, the National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) said it would host a “next generation E-911 forum” to further examine and develop E- 911 service. The forum will include “all 911 stakeholders” and will be held in Washington Nov. 17. The forum will include a technical roundtable, a policy roundtable and an operational/educational roundtable.